Sam Fielding: 2013 Fulbright Scholar

Fast Fact: Sam was raised in Alaska and is very knowledgeable about musk ox and caribou

"MIIS is very interdisciplinary and you can pick your own path, so if you want to do a Fulbright, it’s kind of easy to combine the two.”

How do you quantify the benefit of ecosystems like coral reefs that usually don't get captured in the market? It's a complex question that Sam Fielding will study and attempt to answer as a Fulbright Scholar at Shandong University in China.

"People are only concerned with how much they have to pay from their own pockets at the expense of eco-systems," says Sam.

If ecosystems that are not usually accounted for economically speaking can be, then Sam believes those numbers can be incorporated and used to help stop some of the damage being done to the environment.

"Anything environmentally true in the world is usually much more so if found in China," says Sam, who will be working along the South China Sea. "I want to learn more about research in China and what they are doing there.”

During his time at the Monterey Institute, Sam has taken advantage of the many immersive learning opportunities offered by the Institute. In addition to the Fulbright, Sam is also a part of the Center for the Blue Economy (CBE), which landed him a summer internship with the World Resources Institute in Washington, DC. He has also worked as a research assistant for the CBE.

"MIIS has lots of opportunities outside of the classroom to gain professional experience and internships," says Sam. "MIIS is very interdisciplinary and you can pick your own path, so if you want to do a Fulbright, it’s kind of easy to combine the two.”